Philosophy
My Fellow Comedists,
This week saw the feast day of Saint Mort. Mort Sahl turned 82. He was the pivot point about which comedy turned from the slapstick gags and schticks of Vaudeville to the hip, smart, topical, observational humor of today. In the early 50s, he began to do political humor in San Francisco, performing at the legendary Hungry i. Armed with a newspaper, he performed jazz-like improvisations on the headlines of the day, his insight and wit coming through in rambling discussions instead of punctuated set-ups and punchlines. He was the "rebel without a pause."
We take for granted today that comedians are part of the political landscape and that politicians are the targets of comic monologues, but that all owes its existence to Mort Sahl. Will Rogers may have pioneered the American form at the turn of the century, but it was Mort Sahl who resurrected it and presented it with its contemporary edge.
The Cold War needed him. The horrors of WWII needed the insanity of the Marx Brothers, but the anti-intellectual insanity of McCarthy, required a comic antidote quite different. He caught fire and stepped out of the coffeehouses, becoming a major force. In his autobiography, Woody Allen says that seeing Mort Sahl changed his life. Lenny Bruce took inspiration from Sahl. He recorded albums which became a standard comic practice. He truly changed the landscape of American comedy. In a 1997 routine looking back, he said that most comedians would write down to their audiences believing you had to work stupid to get laughs, but that he "always treated you like you had a Ph.D." He was smart and funny and his material would be the same. It would be edgy and sharp and it set the stage for so many that came after.
A few classics from the master:
"Liberals feel unworthy of their possessions. Conservatives feel they deserve everything they've stolen."
"Washington couldn't tell a lie, Nixon couldn't tell the truth, and Reagan couldn't tell the difference."
"Nixon's the kind of guy that if you were drowning fifty feet off shore, he'd throw you a thirty foot rope. Then Kissinger would go on TV the next night and say that the President had met you more than half-way."
"I took a course at Cal once called Statistical Analysis. And there was a guy in the course who used to make up all his computations and he never used Sigma. He used his own initials. 'Cause he was the standard deviation."
"A conservative is someone who believes in reform. But not now."
Happy birthday, Mort Sahl and thanks for the laughs.
Live, love, and laugh,
Irreverend Steve
- The Year Of Living Humorously: A Stand-up Philosopher's Pilgrimage - Part Vi
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- Feast Of Saint Lenny
My Fellow Comedists, This week we celebrate the feast day of Saint Lenny. Lenny Bruce would be 84 this week. Few comedians have had more of an effect on the craft. Working strip joints with his wife Honey Harlow, Lenny developed his frenetic delivery...
- Feat Of Saint Sid
My Fellow Comedists, This week brings us the feast of Saint Sid. Sid Caesar turns 88. His Your Show of Shows took comedy from Vaudeville into the suburban world of grey suited middle managers of the 1950s. He could do the slapstick, he could do the highbrow...
- The Feast Of Saint David
Brothers, Sisters, and Transgendered Comedists Everywhere, This week we celebrated the feast day of Saint David. David Brenner is 73 years old. The son of a vaudeville performer, growing up in the tough parts of Philly, he became a pivotal figure in stand-up....
- The Strawman/straightman
Brothers, Sisters, and Transgendered Comedists Everywhere, This week is kvetch-time for Comedists. Sometimes it's just good to get it off your chest, so whatever you have to whine, complain, or rant about, this is it. Me, I have a comedic bone to...
Philosophy
Feast of Saint Mort
My Fellow Comedists,
This week saw the feast day of Saint Mort. Mort Sahl turned 82. He was the pivot point about which comedy turned from the slapstick gags and schticks of Vaudeville to the hip, smart, topical, observational humor of today. In the early 50s, he began to do political humor in San Francisco, performing at the legendary Hungry i. Armed with a newspaper, he performed jazz-like improvisations on the headlines of the day, his insight and wit coming through in rambling discussions instead of punctuated set-ups and punchlines. He was the "rebel without a pause."
We take for granted today that comedians are part of the political landscape and that politicians are the targets of comic monologues, but that all owes its existence to Mort Sahl. Will Rogers may have pioneered the American form at the turn of the century, but it was Mort Sahl who resurrected it and presented it with its contemporary edge.
"Will Rogers...used to come out with a newspaper and pretend he was a yokel criticizing the intellectuals who ran the government. I come out with a newspaper and pretend I?m an intellectual making fun of the yokels running the government."His jokes were so sharp and on target that politicians felt the need to respond and taking seriously the old adage to keep your friends close and your enemies closer, he found himself on stage with the very power brokers he was lampooning.
The Cold War needed him. The horrors of WWII needed the insanity of the Marx Brothers, but the anti-intellectual insanity of McCarthy, required a comic antidote quite different. He caught fire and stepped out of the coffeehouses, becoming a major force. In his autobiography, Woody Allen says that seeing Mort Sahl changed his life. Lenny Bruce took inspiration from Sahl. He recorded albums which became a standard comic practice. He truly changed the landscape of American comedy. In a 1997 routine looking back, he said that most comedians would write down to their audiences believing you had to work stupid to get laughs, but that he "always treated you like you had a Ph.D." He was smart and funny and his material would be the same. It would be edgy and sharp and it set the stage for so many that came after.
A few classics from the master:
"Liberals feel unworthy of their possessions. Conservatives feel they deserve everything they've stolen."
"Washington couldn't tell a lie, Nixon couldn't tell the truth, and Reagan couldn't tell the difference."
"Nixon's the kind of guy that if you were drowning fifty feet off shore, he'd throw you a thirty foot rope. Then Kissinger would go on TV the next night and say that the President had met you more than half-way."
"I took a course at Cal once called Statistical Analysis. And there was a guy in the course who used to make up all his computations and he never used Sigma. He used his own initials. 'Cause he was the standard deviation."
"A conservative is someone who believes in reform. But not now."
Happy birthday, Mort Sahl and thanks for the laughs.
Live, love, and laugh,
Irreverend Steve
- The Year Of Living Humorously: A Stand-up Philosopher's Pilgrimage - Part Vi
David Vitter, the very socially conservative Senator from Louisiana, was caught in the DC Madame scandal. What makes it even more ironic is that the prostitute spoke with the press and told them that the Senator insisted on wearing diapers to their sessions....
- Feast Of Saint Lenny
My Fellow Comedists, This week we celebrate the feast day of Saint Lenny. Lenny Bruce would be 84 this week. Few comedians have had more of an effect on the craft. Working strip joints with his wife Honey Harlow, Lenny developed his frenetic delivery...
- Feat Of Saint Sid
My Fellow Comedists, This week brings us the feast of Saint Sid. Sid Caesar turns 88. His Your Show of Shows took comedy from Vaudeville into the suburban world of grey suited middle managers of the 1950s. He could do the slapstick, he could do the highbrow...
- The Feast Of Saint David
Brothers, Sisters, and Transgendered Comedists Everywhere, This week we celebrated the feast day of Saint David. David Brenner is 73 years old. The son of a vaudeville performer, growing up in the tough parts of Philly, he became a pivotal figure in stand-up....
- The Strawman/straightman
Brothers, Sisters, and Transgendered Comedists Everywhere, This week is kvetch-time for Comedists. Sometimes it's just good to get it off your chest, so whatever you have to whine, complain, or rant about, this is it. Me, I have a comedic bone to...